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“Why do you say that?” Dan leaned forward.
Luke huffed. “Because Al was the OSHA guy on site. He was always riding us about taking precautions, staying safe, not taking any risks….”
“OSHA?”
“Occupational Safety and Health Administration,” Gary told Dan. He focused his attention on Luke. “What did you do then?”
“We went to find the boss in the mobile office. We thought he was ripping someone a new one when we got closer, but when Dex peered in the window, the boss was on the phone.Someonewas getting a lot of grief. We waited till he’d finished—Al wasn’t going anywhere, was he?—then we knocked and went in. The boss was the one who called the paramedics.”
That part of the account had varied little, all the witnesses recounting the same thing.
“We’re seeing Dex tomorrow,” Gary informed Luke.
“Then that’s it? You’ve interviewed all of us?”
“Not quite. We haven’t managed to contact Chris Reed yet.” Gary slipped his notepad into his pocket.
Luke’s face fell. “Well, if you wanna talk to Chris, you’re gonna need to be quick about it.”
Gary frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Did none of the others tell you? Chris got diagnosed with lung cancer couple of years ago. Turns out he hasn’t got long left. Poor bastard.”
“Do you know where we can find him?”
“Sure. He’s in some community care place near Newton. Good Shepherd, I think it’s called.” Luke’s face tightened. “I’ve only visited him the one time, last month. I know these kinda places are good at what they do, but honestly it felt awful seeing him with a load of people waiting to die.”
Dan held out his hand. “Thanks for talking to us, Luke.”
“You’re welcome. Sorry I couldn’t help.” They shook, and Luke stood.
“What doyouthink happened?” Dan asked him as he headed for the door.
Luke shrugged. “The only thing I can think of is something distracted him and he lost his footing. But that doesn’t answer the one question we’ve all been asking ourselves since it happened.”
“And what’s that?”
“What was he doing up on the roof rafters in the first place?” He inclined his head toward the door. “Can I go now?”
Gary nodded. “Thanks again for your time. Sorry if our visit robbed you of a break.”
Luke waved a hand. “You probably saved me from losing a packet. Some of these guys play cards during their breaks, and my luck’s been crap lately.” With a final nod to both of them, Luke stepped out into the sunlight and closed the door after him.
Gary gave Dan a speculative glance. “Well?”
“He seems genuine enough, but then they all did. No one’s hiding anything—at least nothing to do with our case.”
Interest flickered in Gary’s eyes. “That sounds intriguing.”
“It can sound as intriguing as you like. I’m not about to share what I saw.” Then warmth flooded through him when Gary squeezed his hand.
“Which only goes to confirm what I already knew. You’re an honorable man, Dan Porter.” Gary released Dan’s hand, then scraped his fingers through his red hair, pushing it back from his forehead. “What I found interesting aboutthisinterview was that the only person we haven’t talked to is the one person who left the others that day.”
“We haven’t spoken to the foreman yet, but I agree. No one else mentioned Chris leaving them at any time.” He gazed inquiringly at Gary. “You think Chris could’ve gone back to plot three, pushed James off the rafters, then returned to the others and continued eating his lunch?” Dan folded his arms. “Does that sound likely?”
Gary stroked his beard. “Ten minutes, Luke said, between Chris returning and them discovering the body. No one heard James call out when he fell, did they? They have no idea when he died. For all they knew, he could already have been dead when Chris went back to the plot.”
“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but….” It was no use. Something didn’t add up. “Luke didn’t believe Chris to be capable of murder. And he worked construction foryearswith no issues. But I do realize we have to cover every possibility, so maybe we should pay him a visit tomorrow. How far is Newton from the precinct?”
